


We Were Born To Die

by Bugbear4869



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: ...Uh-oh, ABOUT Lila, And an evil lady lurking in the background, Bruce Wayne is Batman, But I’m also dramatic in that way?, But he gets better...mostly, But like she doesn't even really deserve THAT much respect, But she gets karmatic comeuppance, Can you guess who he is?, Cass is the stealthiest bat, Damian Wayne is Bad at Feelings, Dick Grayson is a Ray of Sunshine, F/M, Her tags are amazing & hilarious & ludicrously LONG., I just really liked the Lana Del Rey song, I pulled a Lila, I realize this title is morbid and dramatic, I really hope the sarcasm is funny, I think I’m turning into one of favorite AO3 authors, Ironically, It just kinda fit my current mood, Jumps between Dark and Comedy, Lila Rossi Bashing not here (Unfortunately), Lila makes an appearance, Lots of plans, MariBat, Marinette & Sarcasm, Marinette Dupain-Cheng Is a Savage, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Jason Todd Are Siblings, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug Is So Done, Marinette is the Man with the Plan, Mentioned Lila Rossi, Mr. Mallard is an Easter Egg!, Multi, Other, She's a footnote, Therefore best bat, This is the metaphorical hill I will DIE on, Tikki & Plagg are SASSY, Tim Drake is an Insomniac Coffee Zombie, We have evil ninjas guys, because why not?, crap, enough said, gratuitous amounts of sarcasm, if nothing else, so I'm at a loss here, so there’s that going for ya
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-18
Updated: 2020-10-21
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:40:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26531527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bugbear4869/pseuds/Bugbear4869
Summary: She was panting heavily as she ran, as she clutched a large, ornate octagonal box in a sling against her chest...If a few people had looked out their windows, they would have seen a dark-haired young lady, looking for all her fear and determination as if an army of demons were after her.In a way, they would be right.~~~Author's Note: Please read the first chapter, as that contains the foreword with IMPORTANT INFORMATION about WARNINGS.
Relationships: Family - The Batclan, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Damian Wayne
Comments: 24
Kudos: 189





	1. The Foreword

**Author's Note:**

> Please read the first chapter for my WARNINGS policy. It's really important, and I really don't want to continually post about that for reasons. (See Foreword for more information)  
> Anyhow, on with the chapter!

Foreword

* * *

Introduction

Alright, I knew this work was due inevitably since my first exposure to the Maribat fandom with Ozmav's first contributions _(I recommend reading Ozmav's work, introduced some of the first classic tropes for the Maribat fandom)_. I have been here since the first works from Ozmav's head-canon, nursing my emotional wounds from the absolute disaster of Miraculous Ladybug Season 3. **THAT** was just a hot dumpster fire. At the time, I had been a hardcore Adrienette shipper, and I still am, but the Season finale left me destitute. It made me cry, and just, it **_hurt_**. However, all hope was not lost. It also opened up other options for me, allowing me to become more open-minded to pairings. And it also helped I am an absolute SUCKER for the trope of a dark, broody, and emotionally guarded character to fall for the bubbly, happy, compassionate character who loves to love. _(Light & Darkness, respectively)_ Anyhow, I have finally decided to actually write out an idea that's been knocking around my head for MONTHS now, and create something that other's might enjoy. Or not.

(as of 10/20/20) On the subject of Season 3:

Because a lot _(and I mean A LOT)_ of canonical explanation about the magic of the miraculous is vague and confusing and _(dare I say)_ nonsensical, I'm also going to be writing my own rules about how the miraculous, and their universe's magic in general, works. Because a.) the aforementioned points above, and b.) I have found that the fandom is more successful at creating coherent rules about the miraculous in general, and thus believe myself to be more reliable with plot consistency than Zagtoon at the moment.

So from a narrative standpoint, all information in Season 1 & Season 2 are canonical, in it's timeline of events and it's overall lore. Season 3...I'll have to clarify the finer points of that front, but currently _(in the words of one of my favorite Outline fics, **ever** )_ I'll be playing it fast and loose in terms of canon.

WARNINGS Policy

Because I am writing this as I go, I have a very vague sense about how dark I want this work to be. Even if I did, my sense of disturbing content is warped because of my exposure to and enjoyment of different disturbing content. I love psychological thrillers & murder mysteries, it's my thing! To a point I have no emotional attachment to characters who get put through a crap-ton of PTSD-worthy situations. For example, the dog in the Nightmare on Elm Street reboot. _(My friends became super offended when I shrugged off the brutal murder of said dog. Though I suppose that may also elude to messed up priorities if we all collectively didn't care who lived or died besides the dog... I digress.)_ My point is, I have no idea what exactly would be triggering to my reading audience, so I'm kinda out on a limb here.

Furthermore, trigger warnings would also take away from the reading experience, and narrative surprises become less of a, well, _surprise_. If you don't want to read completely blind to my work and it's content, there are plenty of other fan-faction works out there that provide exactly that. All I'm saying is that there may be dark stuff in my work, and I won't be giving audience warnings preluding to what may happen besides changing the work's tag, and this foreword. It would spoilers! If you are worried about something upsetting you or messing with your head, **then don't read my work**. Simple as that. 

WITH THAT BEING SAID...

This writing piece is nowhere near done. I have a rough outline currently (as of 09/18/20) **IF THAT** , and no timeline because college work ethic is lethargic at **best**. So who knows. I want this to become an actual, complete work that people will enjoy, so I'm not going to post until I'm satisfied in it's word amount. Which takes time.

***(I apologize for the delay of the first chapter, however, it is NOW HERE _!!!_ )***


	2. Into the Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I CANNOT ENUNCIATE THIS ENOUGH! PLEASE READ THE FOREWORD FOR THE WARNING POLICIES! I WILL NOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR Y'ALLS MENTAL HEALTH! THAT'S JUST ASKING FOR TROUBLE! *(Heaves in gratuitous amounts of oxygen to calm down)* Alright...with that out of the way, on with the story!

* * *

_Location: Paris, France_

_Date: November 2nd, 2021_

_Time Stamp: 03:37AM_

_She was panting heavily as she ran. The signature pigtails that she normally wore had become askew in her haste. Her over-sized jacket was the only protection against the late autumn chill, but she had not stopped to button it. It flapped wildly around her as she clutched a large, ornately-carved, octagonal box against her chest. The large bag on back rustled nosily as she ran down the quiet streets, but she did not care at all whether she made noise for bystanders to hear._

_Speeding down the twisting routes and the narrow roads of her home city, a young woman in dark pajama pants and ballet flats could not stop to take a breath. She kept moving at a steady sprint, weaving through the labyrinthe back-alleyways of Paris, never pausing, never faltering in her endeavor to keep going. Shadows followed behind, looming closer._

_At this time of night, few people were even awake at this time, let alone out and about along the streets of Paris. Those who were up this early in the morning were finishing up college essays, working overtime on proposals, or just being wired coffee addicts in general._

_They would only see a blur of something pass by their window. Nothing more than a glimpse out of the corner of their eye, but by the time they turned to have a look it was gone. If they had looked outside their homes to the streets below, they would have seen a blue/black-haired young lady, looking for all her fear and determination as if an army of demons were after her._

_In a way, they would be right._

\---

They couldn't catch up to her. She wouldn't allow them to do so, lest Tikki and the rest of the miraculi be lost to the others close at her heels. Her goal first and foremost was to get the hell out of dodge with the box and spell book in tow.

"Marinette!" Tikki screeched, " **DUCK!** "

She sharply turned left into the narrow alleyway, hunching her head as she ran. Abruptly turning again, she went down an adjacent street. The metallic, 'thwacking' noises behind her indicated she had missed being maimed by a hair's-breadth. Trying not to delve into a panic attack, she sped up faster, attempting to gain distance with her pursuers. Mentally going through her options, she hoped to come up with a semblance of a destination.

But she nowhere to go. She had just come from her apartment, where she had been working on one of her commissions. If she had the mental capacity to prioritize abandoning the rest of her workmanship she had spent years upon, she would've been downright pissed on top of being terrified. It was fortunate that she had decided tonight of all nights to pull her once-a-month all-nighter, or else she never would have sensed that something was wrong.

\---

_Around Half an Hour Ago…_

Marinette was putting on the finishing embroidery details of her latest commission project. It was by far one of her most ambitious pieces of work, as the jacket had some of the most ludicrous requirements she had ever come across in an article of clothing.

It needed to be wearable to all sorts of business functions & formal events, it had to be easy to clean, or at least hide gratuitous coffee stains well, and had to be reinforced with bulletproof, knife-proof, waterproof, & inflammable lining. And that’s not adding to the fact that the client didn't really care about its look, price, or deadline, so long as it was quote, _"An MDC original with the most subtle signature brand reference as humanly possible."_

Marinette guessed that the anon was either a really big fan of her work, or in the habit of ~~pissing off~~ trolling commission workers with the laundry list criteria for garments. She had the client's previous email correspondences with other designers from her online commission community to back that theory up. There was even an entire folder they had dedicated to the guy in the shared drive. If anything though, she was enjoying the project immensely. It had been awhile since she'd had a real challenge, and she savored every moment of its calculation and execution.

Nevertheless, she was coming to a point in her work were it was more than satisfactory for her to put a cap on her all-nighter. "Do you think you're almost done with the jacket?" Tikki murmured hopefully. "As much as I know this project has been a fun commission for you, it's been wearing you down for the last couple of months."

"Yeah Tikki, I think I'm at a good stopping point," she yawned, "I need to add on a few details, but from a functional standpoint, the jacket is complete. This is probably one of my best works yet, and I'm tempted to keep this one as a prototype to make more. However, I think making another one with reinforced magic charms sewn into the numerous linings would be better. _Finally,_ I'll be able to ship this off within the next few days. Mr. Mallard should be more than pleased."

She yawned again, fully prepared to hit the sack. "What time is it curre–."

It was at that point she heard absolute silence throughout her apartment. The kind of silence that preludes to something grim. Something bad. A worn, deep-set frown began to take form on her face. It could always get really quiet in the small studio she called home, but never like this. Call it miraculous magic, or her natural sixth-sense, but her Ladybug-instincts were going off like crazy. She shuddered involuntarily; she hadn’t felt this unsettled since the beginning of the final battle with Hawkmoth.

She had ignored her lingering dread at the time, wanting to focus on nothing else but the fight against her nemesis. That had been a mistake that had cost her greatly. She never wanted to be subject to that ever again. 

Wrestling with those dark thoughts, she quickly shoved them into a dark corner of her mind to stress over later. She quietly listened for something: a footstep, an unlocking of a door or window, even a mere heartbeat. But not a whisper could be heard, never so much as a breath.

The absence of sound persisted as did her instincts to **_MOVE_**. Marinette knew she was being overly paranoid, she _knew_ that – those thoughts were still being beaten back into the dark dungeon-closet-corner of her mind – but she figured she’d rather be safe than sorry. The group was due for a contingency drill after all.

"Tikki," Marinette spoke quietly, "I think now might be a good time to round everybody up."

"Are you sure, Marinette?" Tikki hesitated, "You know Kaalki hasn't been feeling well; we won't be able to portal for a while."

"All the more reason then," Marinette frowned further. "I've gotta bad feeling about this."

That woke Tikki up from her groggy state. She paled, then without another word, went to round up the other kwami back to the box. It seems like they were going to need to activate Contingency plan #057b. After Tikki had left, she quietly placed her sewing components back in their proper place. Methodically searching through supplies, she quickly packed her necessity sewing kit and put on the almost-nearly perfect jacket. She then put the kit into one of the enormous, nearly invisible pockets _(that was ANOTHER criterion - having decent-sized invisible pockets)_ , while tucking her current sketchbook under her arms. It had been five minutes. Taking a deep breath, Marinette attempted to buckle down her nerves to enact the next phase of the plan.

She slowly crept around the door of her sewing room, thoroughly scanning the hallway for any signs of disturbance. She tip-toed her way down the hall towards the second door on her right. It led into the kitchenette and breakfast alcove. Granted, it may seem like one of the worst rooms to move to in the event of intruders, but Marinette had several good reasons to make it her present destination:

The first is the fact that although the room did have several entrances, that _also_ meant it had several _exits_. One of which was a window right by the fire escape, which led right down to the main road situated next to her apartment complex. It also didn't hurt that apart from a small jump to onto a nearby ledge, she could easily access the rooftops for some midnight parkour running sessions.

Parkour had become one of her favorite sports now that Hawkmoth was gone, and Tikki had been insistent that the applied use of her gymnastics & tai chi training would help improve Marinette's warped sense of balance outside of the suit. It really had…for the most part.

The second reason for heading to the kitchenette was exactly that – it's the KitchenTM, which means it contains a lot of very sharp and very heavy objects. Essentially, a lot of potentially dangerous tools that could easily cut, burn, smash, or just overall maim someone if handled incorrectly. Or in this case, intentionally.

One incident that came to mind was the time when Marinette had whipped out a meat mallet against a burglar. This event happened a couple months back, when she was first moving in. Rapunzel's frying pan had _nothing_ on the bludgeoning effect of the heavy metal tenderizer. It had left such lasting damages on the guy's hand and face, she almost felt guilty about it when the cops took him away. That had been one of the more interesting nights in the months she had lived in her apartment.

The third reason was the fact that she kept all her emergency supplies in the kitchen. With the exception of her sewing room, she spent the most time in the kitchenette, stress baking and cooking for herself and the kwamis. It made sense to keep the antiseptic & bandages within reach after the fact that this was _Marinette_ , world-renowned for her habit of accidentally injuring herself.

It also made logical sense to place her necessities within a cabinet for a quick getaway, as the aforementioned exits were easily within reach. The necessities included her travel backpack, spare laptop, med-kit, limited kwami fuel, and spare storage for additional supplies. There was a reason she had been dubbed the title of 'Mom' back in her friend group.

As for the fourth, final, and arguably most important reason, she ALSO kept the Miracle Box and the Miraculous Tome book in the kitchen. This was so the kwami could have easy access to snacks, the book, and their Guardian. Of whom was aforementioned to spend a good percentage of her time stress-baking. The alcove made for a good place that the kwamis could reside in without having to worry about being spotted.

Besides, who would suspect a box of extremely powerful jewelry and a book about said jewelry be kept on the counter of a kitchenette?

She had made it to the kitchen without spotting anything out of the ordinary. No décor had been displaced, no floorboards had creaked, nothing.

She slowly breathed out a sigh of relief, quickly stuffing her sewing kit, sketchbook, and the tome into the emergency backpack. Marinette, gathering the miracle box into her arms, did one last thing before she made off into the night; she did a headcount of all the kwamis.

"Everyone here?" she whispered.

"Yeah Pigtails, everyone's here." Plagg reported, "Even the one who's feeling a little _hoarse_." He grinned evilly while everyone groaned in unison. When she got confirmation from all the other nineteen deities that they were ready to go, she climbed out of the fire escape window.

It was at that point when she heard a faint, metallic beep-ticking sound. It was steadily starting to get faster.

\---

***BOOM!!!***

\---

Even if she wanted to, doubling back was, to put it simply, no longer an option. That idea went up in a blazing inferno along with the rest of the apartment complex. She was still trying to process the fact that her entire building had been rigged to blow. Explosives of that size and magnitude took time to set up, and she felt it would be a necessary detail to analyze later. When shadow-people aren't intending to lay claim to her head along with a magic jewelry box. Yeah, that sounds like some pretty solid logic right there.

The shadow-people, or whatever they were, had shown up at the height of the crisis. People had started shouting, "Did anyone make it out?", "Has someone dialed the fire department?" Before long, a small crowd of people from the neighborhood had appeared in front of the burning building, huddling in groups to stay out of the way of the emergency responders.

Marinette was standing in one of the pockets of people when her instincts screamed at her to **_RUN_**. She saw a dark shape moving quickly towards her from one direction, and felt a hand roughly swipe at her from the other. That's when she started sprinting.

\---

_Present Time..._

As she attempted to move farther away from her pursuers, she ran through her mental checklist as she sped past another would-be busy boulevard. Marinette's options were slowly dwindling down along with her favorable odds.

She couldn't go to Master Fu's message parlor; it had already been leased to a new owner in the aftermath of the passing of the Guardian mantle. Her shifu's remaining presence in France had become lost along with his memories. Long gone was the sanctuary he had built for her, giving her guidance over the years' trials and problems during Hawkmoth's reign.

Nor could she go to her parents' bakery, nor any of her friends' houses. Not out of lack of love, as she had forgiven them for past grievances that really didn't mean much to her now. Not after all that had happened, anyway. It was because she knew, somehow, that the figures behind her would not stop until they had pried the box and the spell book from her cold, dead hands – and anyone else who got in their way.

It was then imperative that she made it out of Paris without being followed. She was especially fearful of what would happen should they decide to go after her parents, or her contacts – did they even know her contacts? – But she couldn't worry about that now. She made a mental note to contact them once she was safe, and to inform everyone she was going under. As the streets became alleyways, and concrete walkways became akin to narrow, ruinous roads, she grew dreadful for what would happen if she stopped moving.

 _"Marinette!"_ Tikki stated harshly, _"They're gaining on us!"_

"I know we can't keep this up forever Tikki! But what choice do we have right now? There's no way we can stop, not with those shadow-things chasing us!" 

Marinette gave Tikki a frantic stare, "Who are these people?! Are they even PEOPLE?! Where on Earth did they come from?!"

"…" Tikki moved away from Marinette's shoulder to drift in tandem to her face, a heavy furrow in Tikki's brow sagging her usually cheerful face. "I don't know."

"You don't know!? What do you mean you don't know!? As the oldest of all the kwami, shouldn't you know!?" Marinette's voice became higher in pitch. At this point she was starting to slip into her old habits of panic-catastrophizing. A stray thought occurred to her that she might be having PTSD flashbacks to when – nope, that idea just got drop-kicked off the metaphysical cliff of denial. She wasn’t going to think about that, not _now_. She dodged another slew of shuriken.1

"Look, Sweet-Guardian-of-mine, I may be a primordial deity that even _He_ is still reluctant to cross to this day, but that does not mean I, or any of the other kwami for that matter, are omniscient!" Tikki grit out scathingly.

“That's not what I'm saying! I thought you were at least aware of all of our enemies, and had told me after the incident in '19, quote, _'Don't worry about it! I'll tell you about ALL of them when we reach that point in your training!'_ " Marinette bit back with a hard glare, "This hasn't been the first time you've held back important information from me Tikki, and you had promised me that you would forewarn me of all our enemies!"

"And I did!" Tikki retorted at her friend. "But we will always have new interested parties that want to manipulate us, and there is no way of knowing at all who specifically our enemies are!"

"She's right, Pigtails! We're not expositional plot devices, because if we were, we would not be having these current problems right now!" Plagg had popped up beside Tikki to defend his companion. "Rumors of our omnipotence were highly exaggerated!" His attempt to alleviate the mood with his own caustic sense of humor was poor. The other kwami let out murmurs of agreement and assent.

Properly chastised, Marinette realized that Tikki, Plagg, and the rest of the kwami were supremely freaked out, even more so than she was. Whoever these other people were, they had put the kwami on edge. That led to the questioning thought, _"What sort of residual energy are these people giving off that could be making them so nervous?"_ She attempted to pull herself together by taking an actual breath as she ran. Turning down another street corner, the pursuers were not far behind.

"These people are really bad, aren't they?" She said quietly. Tikki looked away in an unspoken answer. "I'm sorry Tikki – I know we're both stressed, and the situation at hand is dire. With that being said, what would you propose as a plan of action besides getting the heck out of dodge? Cause the way I see it, we're not going to be able to rest until we get out of France, let alone Paris."

"I know, and I accept your apology," Tikki mustered a smile, then scowled again. "As for me, I currently got nothing. Regular transport is out of the question. Kaalki's still out as far as she's still sick from that carrot concoction you specifically told her not to drink."

"So _that's_ what made her sick? Well, shit."

"Good description of our current situation, Guardian o' mine, but actually, I have an idea," Plagg stated hesitantly, "But you’re not gonna like it."

Tikki's eyes widened in recognition. "Oh no. Nope. Nonono, that's a terrible idea! She's not ready!"

"You and I both know that she is most certainly ready, Sugarcube. What has you worried is whether or not she has the aptitude to be able to survive it without consequences."

"Exactly! There was a reason it was not practiced until the trainees reached the age of nineteen! Moreover with heavy support from mentors until they turned twenty-one! She hasn't even passed her eighteenth half-birthday yet! That's a little over two months away!"

"Well Tikki, I really don't think we have much of a choice in the matter."

"What do you mean, Plagg?" Marinette cut in. It was becoming harder to talk as her energy was dwindling from the constant running. "What choice are you talking about?"

"Okay, so you know how you've been reading up on the spells in the Miraculous Tome?"

"Yeah…"

Both he and Tikki went back to perching on Marinette's shoulders. "So, that's only one type of miraculous magic. Up until this point you only know of the first two types: Summoning magic; which is wielding us, and Latent magic; which is the potions and charms found in the spell book. The third type, Manifest magic, is considered the most powerful to use. It essentially allows you to use the abilities of the miraculous without the wielding limitations by drawing upon the energy of the Universe."

 _"I'm tempted to make a sarcastic quip about your meta-commentary from the previous argument."_ Marinette muttered. "Alright, so then why hasn't this come up sooner if it's that powerful?"

"That's a stupid question Pigtails."

"Wha–"

"What he means, Marinette, is our core philosophy, our defining principle."

"Ahhhhhh…balance. I'm under the assumption that there are warranties and complications involved in using Manifest magic then?"

"You got it in one Pigtails! With that being said, it's pretty dangerous to utilize even with training, so it's highly recommended to adhere to the age limit. However, if you think you can handle it, I can teach you something that might allow us to get away and keep our collective heads. It's your choice."

Marinette frowned for a moment in thought. She nodded once as she sprinted, decision made.

"Alright then, Guardian," Plagg sighed. "Here's what you're going to have to do, but you're _really_ not gonna like it."

He was right. She did not like it.

"Wonderful. Today is shaping up to be a _fantastic_ Tuesday, and it isn't even first light. _Fabulous_."

\---

She made a sudden sharp turn, praying to anything and everything willing to lend her good fortune for her last-ditch attempt at escape. She didn't dare look back for fear it would slow her down from running in the exact opposite direction of her shadows. Hah. _Shadows_. Well crap, now she's starting to crack Plagg's jokes for him.

She reached the dead-end in the alleyway. Using her last reserves of strength, she scaled the building till she reached the roof ledge, and took off. The people following her didn't seem to expect that. It wasn't clear if they had underestimated the former Parisian superhero who had spent several years running across these rooftops, or if her experience from hiding from villains was just _that good._ Her ego would have her agreeing with the latter, but it was more likely the former. Bobbing and weaving between chimneys and brick stacks, she had managed to outpace them. The lead would only buy her a few fleeting minutes, but it would be enough time to do what Plagg had asked of her.

Nimbly leaping and jumping from roof-scape to roof-scape, she finally made it to an enclosed greenery space. One of the numerous rooftop gardens scattered all across Paris, it was an area she visited often on her midnight runs for a rest. But she wasn’t here to sit on a bench and sketch the night flowers in evening bloom. She was more interested in the pot that contained fertilized Earth right next to it. And based upon the smell, it was still relatively fresh.

"I'm going to live to regret this, huh." She sighed.

She got to work, all the while muttering mutinous commentary, and half-jokingly threatening Plagg. "If we live through this, remind me to thank you. _Then_ remind me to put you on an American cheese diet for a week. _And THEN_ remind me to lecture Kaalki about not drinking the untested root-medley extract, no matter how divine it smells."

"…That's fair." was all he had to say in response. Tikki let out rare snickering of amusement.

\---

_The shadows had her cornered._

_They had finally caught up to her, and were slowly circling around her, blocking off any escape from the area. The Miracle Box was almost in hand, and the last Guardian would soon be dead. The mistress would be pleased._

_She had not yet turned to face them, but it would not matter. Irrelevant to whether or not she sensed them surrounding her, this would be her end. The commander raised his tanto, 2 crouching into a fighting stance._

_"GUARDIAN. SURRENDER AND GIVE UP THE MIRACULOUS BOX AND ITS TOME. IF YOU DO NOT RESIST, WE PROMISE YOU A SWIFT AND PAINLESS DEATH." The commander hissed menacingly._

_"Yeah, because_ **that** _sounds appealing." She muttered._

_Turning around, she faced the shadow who spoke dead-on. He froze for a moment, for the eyes of the young woman seemed to glow an eerie blue in the dark of the night. Juxtaposed by darker hair and paler skin, she seemed otherworldly. It was in that one instance of clarity he felt fear as he had never felt it before. Momentarily shaken, he repositioned his stance to strike her down with one blow._

_Seeming to take one last glance at the Eiffel Tower, she took in a deep inhalation, then breathed out slowly through her nose. Closing her eyes, she started speaking in an ancient indecipherable tongue,_

**_"Aen –o muqim tadmyra, chao, a alwaba', o hi coe a nin thubat, im skippa na edr- i fennas -o gwathren a lumb. 3"_ **

_To the collective surprise of all save the Guardian and her charges, a shadowy portal warped open at her feet. In their haste, they did not notice how her hands were darkened with earth, nor the glyphs drawn into the ground until they started to give off a mist-like glow._

_The commander could not make out clearly what resided on the other side, save for tall, dark structures. After a heartbeat, they all converged at where she stood. They were too late._

_She had already jumped, the portal closing behind her._

\---

_Location: 'Eth Alth'eban, Somewhere in the Arabian Peninsula…_

_Date: November 2nd, 2021_

_Time Stamp: 07:00 AM; CEST_

"Enter."

_Several shadows crept silently into the dimly-lit chamber. They bowed deeply before their mistress._

"Report. Were you successful in your mission?"

_There was a slight hesitance in the air as the question went unanswered. Piercing green eyes narrowed in impatience and growing fury._

" **Well?!** "

"...I apologize mistress. We have failed to retrieve the Miraculous Box and its Tome."

_The silence that followed the commander's answer was deafening._

"Howev-"

**_*SLASH!*_ **

_Without so much as a warning, the woman beheaded the commander in a single strike, cleanly separating it from his shoulders. The body fell with a soft thud, its head rolling off to the side. No other sound could be heard save the leader's harsh breathing. After a moment's pause, she turned to towards the shadow behind the corpse._

"Were you his second-in-command?"

"…Yes mistress, I was his second in command."

"Then I bid you a congratulations, you have been promoted. Do not make the same mistake as your predecessor. I will not be so kind next time should you fail."

"Yes mistress."

"Besides your egregious failure, do you have anything else to report?"

_There was a moment of silence._

"Nothing with certainty, mistress."

_The woman’s brow furrowed as she frowned deep in thought. After a few moments, she waved her hand in their dismissal._

"Then go, and do not return until you have what we need."

_The shadows bowed again in unison to their leader, and slipped into the early dark of daybreak without a sound._

To Be Continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1.) Shuriken - a thin metal throwing star; used to throw into enemies but could also be used as a tiny knife for slitting.  
> 2.) Tanto - a thin knife made from steel; used for quick kills, opening locked doors, digging small holes, or (like the shuriken) a throwing device  
> 3.) Translation of a hodge-podge of Arabic, Icelandic, & Sindarin: "God of destruction-chaos and pestilence, from this earth and my fortitude, I bid thee to open the gateway of shadow and shade.  
> Side Note: I won't lie, feedback and ideas would be welcomed. Especially when we all have cases of self-doubt. And catawampus, do I have my doubts!  
> Another Side Note (as of 10/20/20): After EXTENSIVE RESEARCH into each of our main character's respective ages, I have come to a conclusion on each of their respective birthdays. Marinette was born on July 9th, 2003; Damian was born on January 5th, 2002. It's almost scary how both of their Western and Chinese zodiacs match their prerequisite characteristics. Look up the goat and the horse in the Chinese zodiac and you'll get Marinette's and Damian's core personality traits. I'm not kidding, the Maridami fandom is a rendition of the Capricorn and Cancer love story. I'm a little unnerved.  
> (https://www.astrology-zodiac-signs.com/compatibility/capricorn-cancer/)


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